Tag Results: Varanasi

Varanasi

India is a veritable street circus of swerving cars and rickshaws; roaming monkeys, elephants, cattle, and more; belligerent beggars and touts hawking fare – a “ballet of chaos” as my beau took to describing it during our recent one-month stint there. For wide-eyed Westerners like us looking for a haven amidst the chaos, India delivers some wonderfully affordable homestay options that allow travelers to dip out of the mayhem, curtail the sterile hotel stay, and bunk down in area homes helmed by hospitable locals instead.

Reasonable rates get you more than just a bed, but a culturally immersive experience littered with local flavor, from personal anecdotes illustrating the lives of locals to savory home-cooked meals. These three family-owned and -operated Indian homestays come thoroughly vetted and highly recommended, with families who opened up not just their homes, but their hearts; we came as guests and left as friends. Read more

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Travel as a vehicle for spiritual transformation is hardly a new notion – seekers have practiced the act of pilgrimage as long as they’ve looked to the skies to communion with a higher power. Even in today’s short-attention-span society, setting out to honor the divine or ponder the mysterious is a time-honored tradition, one that refuses to wane with the changing tides of our tech-driven lives. This list of 10 sacred places showcases points of perceived power and peace around the globe. In these places, the physical seems to meld seamlessly with the metaphysical whether due to awe-inspiring natural settings, reported ties to great gods or holy humans, or long-standing consecration as sites of worship and ritual. Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights, hotels, packages, and more travel deals.

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Travel as a vehicle for spiritual transformation is hardly a new notion – seekers have practiced the act of pilgrimage for as long as they’ve looked up to the skies and attempted communion with a higher power. Even in today’s short-attention-span society, setting out to honor the divine or ponder the mysterious is a time-honored tradition that refuses to wane with the changing tides of our technologically driven lives. This list of 10 sacred places(and the accompanying slideshow) showcases points of perceived power and peace around the globe, where the physical appears to meld seamlessly with the metaphysical whether due to awe-inspiring natural settings, reported ties to great gods or holy humans, or long-standing consecration as sites of worship and ritual.

Our list isn’t meant to be comprehensive. Sacred places mean many things to different people – zipping along an open highway, sailing a calm sea, or even hibernating inside on a cold winter’s morning can all bring about their own sort of peace. Where do you go to retreat from the world?

Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights, hotels, packages, and more travel deals.